Scott Adams, Dilbert Cartoonist, Dies at 68 After Cancer Battle

Scott Adams, the cartoonist who created the Dilbert comic strip, died Tuesday morning at age 68 after a battle with metastatic prostate cancer. His first ex-wife, Shelly Miles, shared the news on his regular YouTube livestream, where Adams had connected with fans daily for years.

Background

Scott Adams grew up in a small town and went on to study at Hartwick College, where he got a bachelor's degree. He later earned an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley. In the 1980s, he worked a regular office job at Pacific Bell, a phone company. To pass the time, he started drawing cartoons about the daily grind of cubicle life and shared them with co-workers.

Those sketches caught attention. He sent samples to syndicators, and in 1989, Dilbert debuted in newspapers on April 16. The strip featured Dilbert, an engineer in a nameless tech company, dealing with absurd bosses and pointless meetings. Readers loved how it captured the frustration of office jobs. It ran in thousands of papers for over 30 years.

Adams built Dilbert into more than just a comic. He wrote dozens of books, like ones explaining his ideas on management and success. There was even a short-lived TV show in the late 1990s, with Adams writing many episodes. Merchandise popped up everywhere – mugs, calendars, shirts. Fans sent emails with story ideas, and Adams put his address right in the strip starting in 1993, a first for cartoonists.

The main characters became household names for office workers. There was the Pointy-Haired Boss, always clueless. Wally, the lazy guy angling for early retirement. Alice, the sharp engineer who snapped under pressure. Asok, the eager intern. Catbert, the mean HR cat. And Dogbert, Dilbert's smart dog with big ambitions. Adams called it the Dilbert Principle: companies promote the worst people to management where they can do the least harm.

Key Details

Adams went public with his health struggles in May 2025. He said on his livestream that he had stage 4 prostate cancer that had spread to his bones, the same as former President Joe Biden, whose diagnosis came out a day earlier.

“Some of you have already guessed, so this won’t surprise you at all, but I have the same cancer Joe Biden has,” Adams said on May 19, 2025. “I also have prostate cancer that has also spread to my bones, but I’ve had it longer than he’s had it. Well, longer than he’s admitted having it.”

By then, he used a walker and described constant pain. In December 2025, he said he was paralyzed from the waist down, though he could still feel. He kept up his daily show, 'Real Coffee with Scott Adams,' often with help from friends as his condition worsened.

In November 2025, Adams announced he could no longer draw. His right hand had focal dystonia, a muscle control issue, and his left was partly paralyzed. He stayed on as writer, with an art director taking over the illustrations for Dilbert Reborn, his relaunch on platforms like Rumble and his website.

His life had other hardships. In 2018, his stepson Justin died at 18 from an overdose. Adams raised him from age 2. Justin had struggled with addiction after a bike accident at 14 caused a head injury.

The 2023 Controversy

Things changed in February 2023. On a podcast, Adams commented on a poll about the phrase 'It's OK to be white.' He noted that nearly half of Black respondents disagreed or were unsure. He suggested people avoid groups with such views for safety, based on statistics.

Newspapers dropped Dilbert fast. The Los Angeles Times and others pulled it. His syndicator, Andrews McMeel, cut ties. Publisher Penguin Random House canceled a book and yanked his older titles. Adams self-published 'Reframe Your Brain' later that year, dedicating it to his online supporters.

He moved to YouTube and Rumble, building a new audience. He kept livestreaming, talking politics and life. Adams said his points were simple: judge people as individuals and stay away from statistical risks. He rejected racism.

What This Means

Dilbert shaped how people saw office work. It came out before shows like The Office or movies like Office Space. Adams gave voice to workers feeling trapped in bureaucracy. Strips mocked endless meetings, bad managers, and HR rules. Many still quote lines or characters years later.

After 2023, the split was clear. Some saw Adams as a free speech fighter pushing back on cancel culture. Others viewed his words as harmful. He gained fans on platforms like Rumble, popular with conservatives. His daily streams mixed humor, predictions, and debates.

Adams leaves a mixed legacy. His comics touched millions, selling books and spawning fans worldwide. The cancer fight showed his grit – he broadcast from home, walker nearby, until the end. Shelly Miles broke the news Tuesday, emotional but direct.

“Hi everyone. Unfortunately this isn’t good news. Of course he waited until just before the show started, but he’s not with us anymore,” she said through tears.

Fans filled comments with memories. Some shared favorite strips. Others noted his push through illness and backlash. Dilbert lives on online, drawn by others under his guidance. His books and old strips stay available. The voice that mocked cubicles falls quiet, but its echo lingers in offices everywhere.

Adams was born June 8, 1957. Details on funeral plans are not out yet. His YouTube channel has archives of recent shows, including health updates. The strip's website keeps new episodes posting.